The Clearout
by TeamNewTricks
Summary: Gerry decides to give his house a tidy, but he gets a bit distracted.


This was a challenge from some time ago now, in fact it's so far down on the page that I can't even find who posted it! It had to include 3 photos: one sad, one happy, and one embarrassing. I apologise for any mistakes as it was written on my iPad. Oh and I don't own New Tricks :-( Enjoy x

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As Gerry began sorting through the stacks of discarded books and magazines in the corner of his living room, he flung what looked like hundreds of old issues of Top Gear into a heap on the floor.

"Jeez I probably could have bought a months worth of fags with the amount this lot cost" he mused to himself as he got further down the piles of junk. When he decided he needed a big clear out he hadn't realised how much stuff he actually had. He looked around at his 'rubbish pile' on the floor that was now replacing the carpet, and sighed. "I spend my life at work filing and sorting out stacks of paperwork I really can't be bothered to do it at home. And now you're talking to yourself, nice one Gerry." Deciding for his own sanity that he should ignore the size of the pile on the floor and how he was going to dispose of everything, he returned his attention to the rest of his living room, scanning to see what else he could discard in this session. As he glanced over his book shelf he found his eyes drawn to a dusty leather bound book on the top shelf.

"Blimey I had forgotten about you!" He reached the object down and brushed off the dust, making him cough in the process.

He perched on the sofa and opened the book. It had been a long time since Gerry had looked through his photo album, and to be honest he wasn't sure he really wanted to. After all it just reminded him how much things had changed, and he didn't know if he really wanted to be raking up the past right now.

He flicked through the first dozen pages, with all the ones with his ex-wives; although they were still an important part of his life, he knew those pictures off by heart and they weren't what he wanted to be looking at right now. As he kept going he found what he was expecting to when he opened the album. Jack. He felt a slight tear roll down his cheek at the memory of one of his best friends. There he was in the photo, full of life and laughing at the camera. Gerry remembered it so well, Sandra was complaining that she didn't want to have her picture taken, but Gerry had threatened to follow her everywhere with a camera until he got a very embarrassing picture if she didn't follow instructions. With that Sandra had sulked back to Jack and Brian's side as he sorted out the camera. Jack and Brian had loved how he could get their Guv to do anything he wanted if the threat was right, something they had never quite perfected. Remembering that moment he tried to smile and think that in some ways Jack had been right, he was remembering him how he used to be, and not as someone who was ill. But he couldn't help but be upset about the situation. He would never forget how much Sandra had cried when they received the news, how she had broken down so completely in front of him and he wasn't even sure if he was going to be able to hold all the pieces of her together. That memory in itself was enough to make more tears gently roll down his cheeks. And that was before he even got started on Brian.

As he flicked forward in the book, he found the next picture brought a small smile to his face. There stood himself, Brian and of course the new family member, Steve, in a little huddle in the glorious sunshine with the lake behind them. Steve had thought Gerry was joking when he suggested they all go fishing, but he knew that it would be the perfect opportunity to get Brian and Steve to bond. Gerry knew deep down that he and Sandra should have noticed that Brian wasn't doing well when Jack left, and because of more than just a close friend moving abroad. But maybe they hadn't wanted to see it? But this picture reminded Gerry of how they had helped make things better for him. Even Esther, who hadn't wanted to believe the worst in him had feared that he would turn back to drink after it all came out about him keeping that awful secret. But with the support of Sandra and Gerry, and surprisingly Steve, they had helped him through and comforted him together.

As he continued to flick through the album he suddenly burst out laughing. This was a picture that he had promised not to keep and he knew he would be in big trouble if he was found in possession of it. He pulled it out of the album and took a closer look at it.

"Gerry why can I hear you laughing when I'm knee deep in your crap from the spare room? I knew you'd be skiving down here..." Sandra burst into his living room only to be stopped in full flow when she saw what had caused his amusement. "You bloody lier! I knew you hadn't got rid of that!" She shouted at him as she flew across the living room diving onto him, trying to reach the photo he was now holding high in the air. Letting the photo album slide onto the sofa he wrapped his spare arm around her waist trying to pull her back down and stop her reaching the photo being waved around. "Give it here Gerry its not fair." She protested as she relented a little and sat down on his lap staring at the photo she wanted so much to tear up.

"And what's fair about me having to throw it away when I was the one who took it? And I don't care what you have to say about this photo, I think it's very sexy." He leant forward and placed a gentle kiss on her lips, hiding her shocked expression at what he thought was sexy. As he lost himself for a moment just thinking about the woman he loved sat on his lap, Sandra reached up and grabbed the photo from his loosening grip.

"Ha ha in your face Gerry!" She started to climb off his lap but was stopped by both of his arms firmly wrapped around her stomach. "What is even so sexy about it, its absolutely hideous?" Sandra and Gerry both stared at the photo together, each obviously seeing two different things. In the photo Gerry saw the woman he loved in an extremely relaxed form, something which was quite rare, whereas Sandra saw someone who was wearing no makeup, a very unusual combination of clothes, and had not even brushed her hair. In truth the photo captured Sandra standing doing the washing up in her dressing gown, equipped with rubber gloves that didn't match and her Wellington boots on. Perhaps not her finest hour but in Gerry's eyes she looked absolutely perfect.

"Honey you're always sexy, now come on let's put this back in the album, I think we've done enough clearing out for one day."

"Well I have, I don't know about you though." She raised an eyebrow playfully at him. "BUT YOU ARE NOT KEEPING THAT!"

"Can I make a deal with you?"

Sandra narrowed her eyes at him "What sort of deal?"

"If I promise to behave at work, can I keep the photo?"

"Behave?At work? Ha yeah right." Despite the initial mocking she thought this 'deal' was she could now see he was being serious. "Okay, you can keep it...BUTonly if you make sure the others behave as well," she smirked at him.

"What like I can control them... Okay okay I'll make sure they behave." He quickly agreed as he saw he go to tear the photo up.

"Thank you." She grinned triumphantly at him. "Now that I know I will have an enjoyable next week at work, let's have an enjoyable end to our weekend." She jumped off his lap and held out her hand, which he quickly accepted.

"Hmm now you're talking" he grinned playfully as she led him to the bottom of the stairs.

"You go and get the duster, I'll finish putting your rubbish in bin bags" she turned around in his arms and grinned. "What else did you think I was referring to?" With one last wink she vanished up the stairs and left him standing bewildered at the bottom.

"Ooh you'll regret that Miss Pullman." He grinned to himself and whispered as he went to find his cleaning products,"I've still got that photo."

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I hope you enjoyed this. I must say that the inspiration of having an embarrassing photo such as Sandra's did come from personal experience..in pretty much the same outfit!

Ellie :-)


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